Nozomi
by UchihaSetsuka
Summary: Love is the most beautiful thing to have, the hardest thing to earn, and the most painful thing to lose. Sasuhina
1. Here We Are

**Unfortunately, I do not own Naruto. Enjoy!**

_Drip_

Hinata did not have time to look at the blood before her opponent swiftly advanced once more, positioning his katana at an angle that was meant to hit her vitals if she allowed him an opening. This made it clear that he wasn't interested in games. In response, Hinata spun and ducked to evade the sword while withdrawing a kunai to parry the blow that came from above. Her opponent spun to his right to build momentum for a strike to her side, an attack which sent pieces of grass and dirt flying in an attempt to keep her stance when she blocked with her arm guard.

'_That__'__s gonna bruise.__'_

Suddenly, the katana was gone and her opponent ducked low to deliver a sweeping kick to her legs. Hinata quickly backflipped and channeled chakra into her hands to produce a larger spring so that she could land a further distance away. She hoped that this would give her a few seconds to catch her breath and reassess the situation. But he was relentless as always and came at her full charge. She attempted to side step but his hand was already there, catching her wrist and pulling it behind her back. Hinata immediately recognized the position he was pulling her into and she knew that the second the position settled, she would be defeated.

'_No! Not yet!__'_

The ex-heiress flattened her palm of her captured arm against her opponent and sent a burst of hot white chakra out of her hand. The maneuver was successful in its intentional goal but was sloppy enough that it only blew the man back a few yards and gave him enough time in the air to flip and land gracefully on his feet. He wasted no time in running at her again. Hinata heavily debated whether to continue with this or go running off in the opposite direction. She shook her head and readied herself for the onslaught of attacks that were to come. Placing her feet wide apart and slightly bent at the knees, Hinata reached into her pack and pulled out the last four kunai in her stock. She threw one at her advancing opponent which he easily dodged. She then threw the second and third in quick succession, which gave a quiet whistle as it soared through the air towards its target, both within close proximity of the other. The man's face remained stoic as ever, as he leap forward and twisted his body so that the kunais embedded themselves on the tree behind him with two dull thunks.

Running out of time, Hinata drew up her forearm and blocked the punch aimed at her shoulder. She pushed back against his force and in a quick decision, she jerked up her knee to meet his abdomen. He responded with inhuman speed and also lifted his knee to parry her own. In that moment, she placed her light weight on his knee (an ill advised tactic, seeing how he could withdrawal at any time leaving her without support) and swung her other leg to hit his side. She let out a gasp of surprise when he caught her leg with his arm and held it there. She had expected him to hit it aside which would give her enough force and momentum to flip around and continue on the offensive. She felt confused and disoriented for a split second. But that was all he needed. He roughly snatched her wrists with his free hand and pinned them above her head against a tree which he his other arm remained wrapped around her leg. In addition, his pelvic area was positioned right against her own. Hinata's faced flushed scarlet. Not only had she been defeated, she had let him hold her captive in such a compromising position.

'_This is so embarrassing. Humiliating.__' _

Hinata peeked up at the man and her eyes widened. His black orbs were drowning her with their depth and her breath hitched upon seeing the absolute lust. Her thoughts were a jumble from '_Where is this coming from?_' to '_Losing__'__s not so bad__…_'

As quickly as it came, the smoldering gaze disappeared and was replaced by his usual impassive expression. He stared at her and took in the emotions that seemed to flick across her face. Surprise, frustration, annoyance, embarrassment,…

Awe, admiration, and pride.

"Quit."

Her eyes widened for a millisecond before they narrowed into a glare.

"No."

"Are you going back on your word?" He arched one eyebrow, challenging her.

"I only said I would consider it." She bit back.

"You-"

"OY! SASUKEEE- TEME! Baa-chan wants-" The spiky haired blonde immediately stopped in his tracks and froze upon discovering his team mate in what seemed to be a very, very private moment. His jaw animately dropped to the ground to see Hinata's clothing in tatters with scratches and bruises on her exposed skin in addition to her very -cough- intimate pose with Sasuke.

Hinata stared wide eyed at Naruto and when she finally comprehended that he _was_ in fact standing in front of her, she felt her face heat up to degrees she thought unimaginable.

"S-s-s-s-sasuke…"

The man in question gave a exasperated sigh. Hinata had lost her stutter years before she met him but it only ever came back in the most embarrassing of situations.

Naruto then collected himself, giving a sheepish laugh, "Man, you know, Sakura and I usually go pretty hard but we try to keep it indoors and usually keep public displays of affection at a minimum in respect for those out and about, so as future Hokage I-" A shuriken was thrown at the blonde which he ducked, "would like you to-" Another shuriken was thrown in his direction "to abide by the village rules and keep-" Two more flew at the blonde with full force before he could finish his parody of a reprimanding speech. "ALRIGHT! I get it! TEME, Baa- chan wants you at the tower in 15." With that, Naruto leapt up into the trees and disappeared.

Sasuke sighed. "That idiot." Hinata gave a small giggle. "He was only doing his job." Sasuke's lips quirked into his trademark smirk, "Oh, so you're defending him now?" Hinata blushed. "I'm just calling it as I see it."

"Well, maybe you should see from my perspective a little." His lips were hovering just above her own and Hinata's heart rate quickened. She could feel heat moving up and through her, as Sasuke ghosted his lips over hers. Her body instinctively reacted to his, itching for him to come closer, to touch her.

But just like that, he was gone. Her body slumped at the sudden lack of support on her leg and her arms fell from where they were originally pinned. Hinata leaned against the tree and took deep, heavy breaths to calm herself. Her eyes narrowed at the sky and silently cursed that terrible Uchiha. She could just imagine him, flitting through the trees, donning his arrogant smirk because he left her so flustered. The ex-heiress plopped ungracefully into a cross-legged position on the ground to meditate and heal her wounds. Her hair was tied into a pony tail, which had come loose during her spar with the man she currently detested. Her lavender tank top was partially damp with sweat and her workout leggings were sticking to her legs in the most uncomfortable way because of the day's heat. Hinata quickly healed the bruises on her arms and legs before tending to the relatively small gash on her arm that dripped little bits of blood. She winced as her healing chakra seeped into the cut. Sasuke never did things half way when he wanted to prove a point. After the wound was sealed, all that was left was a faded pink scar which would probably fade within three days. Hinata checked herself over once more, satisfied when she found that her condition was the same as when she had first started the spar. She reached back to her loose pony tail and undid the knot that held it together, letting her long indigo hair flutter around her shoulders. She quickly braided it to the side and left it to sit on her shoulder after she was done, though a strand of hair had stuck onto her fingers and was suddenly caught onto the thin silver band around her left ring finger. She felt the hair being plucked out of her head as she tugged in an attempt to dislodge it. The dark strand floated gently down into the grass, a stark contrast to the rich, green grass, except Hinata was too busy examining the ring to notice. She had stared for hours at the ring, sometimes late into the night while she laid next to the sleeping man she would be spending the rest of her natural life with. The thin silver band was simple but elegant. Most would fawn over the way the ring would catch the light and gleam under the sun. Others would gaze in wonderment at such an old family heirloom from such a notorious clan. Some stared in disdain because they believed it to be cursed. Hinata could not care less about any of it. The band could've been old and rusty for all she cared. The only thing that caught her eye was the small Uchiha fan engraved into the ring. The white part of the fan was colored by white diamond that was carefully embedded into the design as well as the ruby used to color the red part. Sasuke often told her the white diamond reminded him of her eyes. Of course he had said this in a short, curt breath and if she hadn't been listening to him she would've missed it, like most of the compliments he gave her. They were swift and were rare but that's what made them all the more special.

A few days later, Hinata told him that the ruby reminded her of his Sharingan. His lips quirked into a half smile. "I mean yeah, I did that on purpose."

When she finally discovered the full analogy behind the design and color of the emblem, she had fallen even more with the man (if that was even possible) and the ring itself. Even now, as she sat underneath the shade of a tree, Hinata continued to stare at the ring, an inanimate reminder of who she belonged to, and who belonged to her. For better and for worse. Through sickness and health. Forever and always. She laid on her back with her right arm tucked under head and extended her left hand upwards towards the tree leaves that dangled above her. Even under the shade of the trees, the light managed to sneak through and catch her ring. Hinata smiled contently at it. It was absolutely breathtaking.

She frowned, letting her hand drop to her side. The man who'd given her this ring,…

Had just pummeled the shit out of her. Had worked her up only to leave her. And left her alone to lick her wounds.

Boo.

She sighed. Well, it's her fault she fell for her tutor. Anyway, it would've been an insult if he lessened up on her just cause he didn't want to hurt her. It would also impede on her performance and physical capabilities on the field and on missions.

Hinata closed her eyes and slowly inhaled, then exhaled. When she opened her eyes, she rocked herself up onto her feet and began to collect all the kunais and shuriken lying about. Once she had everything in the training bag, she hoisted it over her shoulder and began her walk back to the Uchiha compound. She glanced back at the training ground, replaying the events of today in her thoughts.

Hinata smiled and shook her head. Uchiha Sasuke had a strange way of keeping her on her toes.

Hinata was feeling refreshed. After her return home, she took a long cold shower to counter the heat and had changed into a pair of freshly washed clothing. She had long since traded her comfortable zip up jacket for cuter and lighter clothing upon dating Sasuke. It took many, many nudges from Ino to get her out of it but when she did, the clothing stuck. She found herself enjoying the outfits and surprising Sasuke, though it definitely made her laugh when she would go out in public. People, men particularly, would stare and this was _definitely not_ okay for Sasuke. He all but threw her old jacket at her when they were once training in a field and it had gotten hot. She'd taken off her jacket, a rarity in the first steps of their courtship, and he had stared. Her body was not like any other kunoichi he knew. Sakura was thin, lean, and all muscle, a body type that Sasuke once found attractive in his teens. On the other hand, Ino was a little bustier than the pink haired kunoichi but had the same build, thin and strong. But Hinata was a whole different story. Her entire body was full of all the right curves, in all the right places. Her waist was tiny which accentuated her hips and her legs were extremely long for someone who was only five foot three. And her bust…

She would often catch her husband staring which caused a small, barely there blush to appear across is cheeks and in turn caused her to blush as well.

Today, Hinata decided on a light lavender colored sweater that was slightly oversized but soft to the touch. She paired this with her standard black ANBU leggings and tugged on some boots. Not forgetting to wrap her weapons pouch around her thigh, Hinata bolted out the door and began her steady trek to the market. She had left her hair to air dry but now that it was no longer damp, she pulled it back into a loose braid down her back.

Hinata didn't usually go to the market at this time since it was rather late. The freshest vegetables always appeared in the morning along with their tired cart owners. Most of the vendors already knew her from her daily appearances and tried giving her discounted prices, which she was grateful for but put the difference in the tip jars.

She walked along the side street of the market looking at some carts and stopping at others. She caught sight of the Hokage monument and tower in the distance and wondered what kind of business Sasuke was attending to. It was all confidential, she knew but she liked to entertain herself by thinking about what it could be. He was the captain of their ANBU unit and was often given assignments that did not concern or need her particular skill set. She missed him when he was away and she knew that he missed her as well. She knew how restless he would get or how anxious he would become if she didn't get home the day she was due. He had hidden his thoughts from her for a while, knowing that the village came before their marriage and would always but it didn't stop him from worrying in his own quiet way or growing furious whenever he found a wound on her body. He was the ANBU captain and the lone survivor of the Uchiha Clan, so one could say he knew a little about bonds and what they could do to people. It sometimes pained her to see him smother any and all affection for her on missions. He would treat her like every one else and regard her with his stone mask but she knew it made it easier for him to concentrate and to control his emotions, so she dealt with it.

Hinata thought back to one week ago, when he finally let his facade slip. She had just come home from a grueling mission with Shikamaru and was attempting to sneak through the house to wash up. Of course, it was futile because he was right there in a second and glancing at her with his dark irises. His eyes took in every bruise, every cut and the amount of blood splattered over her uniform. He roughly pulled on her arm and she let out a pained yelp when her bruised muscle stretched. He blatantly ignored her and continued to lead her up the stairs to their bedroom. Once they entered, he tugged her into the bathroom and pushed her in to the tub. Sasuke wasted no time turning on the shower head and removing it from its holster, only to have the water sprayed right into her face and dampen her blood soaked clothing.

"S-sasuke!"

He then tossed the shower head to the side and ordered her to strip which she complied. Now would not be the time to get defensive. He quickly cleaned her wounds when she was stripped down to her tank top and underwear and performed the basics of first aid to stop the bleeding. Once his wife was all clean and bandaged, he walked out only to come back with a towel and a change of clothes.

"Change." He ordered.

Her husband was not a man of many words but his actions spoke enough for him. Something was brewing in his mind and he was going to enforce it by any means possible. Hinata changed into the tank top and shorts and stood in the mirror, staring at herself. She was in relatively bad condition, though better than when she first entered the house. There were multiple cuts on her face that she immediately reached up to heal and after a few seconds, they healed completely not leaving a trace. Hinata stared down at the rest of her body. It would take a few days to fully recover, even with chakra healing her. She sighed and steeled herself to face her husband. She peeked out of the bathroom gingerly and sighed in relief when she saw his back rising in slumbering breaths. She silently tiptoed over to the bed and lifted one leg onto the mattress, her breath hitching when her husband stirred. He didn't move after a while and Hinata let out a breath of relief. She climbed onto the very edge of her side of the bed and laid down carefully as to avoid jostling her husbands side of the bed. She did not dare to cover herself with their shared blanket as that would wake him instantly. She reached up to the nightstand with her left hand and felt around the hard surface until she came in contact with a small ring, which she placed on her ring finger. They never wore their wedding bands on missions because it risked discovery and allowed for identities to be compromised. So when Hinata slipped her ring onto her finger, she let out a contented sigh and immediately stiffened. Not before her husband twisted on top of her from his side of the bed and stared down at her wide pearly moon eyes. He had grabbed her wrists and had her pinned down, her body reeling as it processed the sensation of his touch and his body against hers. Sasuke preferred to sleep shirtless so she was graced with the sight of his lean muscled chest and toned arms over hers and the way his pale skin glowed under the moonlight that seeped through the curtains of their window. It wasn't until she looked at his face did she realize the severity of the situation.

His lips were set in a straight line and his eyes bore down on her as if his next request, no, demand was indisputable.

"Quit ANBU."

Hinata's eyes widened. It took her a full minute to discern whether she'd heard him correctly or not. Her voice wavered and her lip trembled slightly before she responded. "Is my p-performance on missions unsatisfactory?" Sasuke flinched at her tone, one she reserved for the ANBU captain.

"No."

"A-are you undermining my c-c-capabilities as a ninja?"

"No. It's not you, it's me."

Hinata did a double take and a scoff escaped her lips before she could stop it. Sasuke twerked his eyebrow in question. Hinata just shook her head and wondered why he pulled out that cliche dumping line. As if reading her mind, Sasuke continued, as curt and diplomatic as ever, "I am not underestimating your abilities as a ninja nor am I implying that you are weak in any way. I am asking you to quit ANBU because I am selfish and because I am holding on to my last shred of sanity when it comes to your well being and our future." He said this with a completely straight face as he leaned closer to her, their breaths mixing in between them.

Hinata's body involuntarily shuddered in response. "D-don't you think I feel the same way? When you're off on m-missions, d-don't you think I worry every d-day you're gone? Why don't you quit?" She knew it was an idiotic suggestion even before she said it. He was the strongest ninja in Konoha next to Naruto and a brilliant captain. His leadership entitled a 100% success rate for all missions and in record time that rivaled his now deceased brother. The village needed him and who was she to take him away for herself.

"The village before our marriage. That's our nindo." She reminded him.

He stared at her with his dark onyx eyes. He let out a sigh and released her arms, rolling back onto his side of the bed. He looked over and studied her elfish facial features. She looked otherworldly with her hair splayed across her pillow and her moon eyes staring right back. Her lips were a tasteful rosy pink but were set in a straight line like his own. It looked adorable rather than intimidating. He had initially thought of just firing her from the position if it really came down to it but Uchiha Sasuke was not a child and realized that it would also get him into some big arguments at home. He pursed his lips and tried one last time. 

"Quit."

"No."

"Quit…please."

"No!"

Suddenly an idea struck him. "How about this? Beat me in a spar and I won't bring it up ever again. I'll just have to wallow in my own anxiety forever and ever."

"But if you win?"

"You quit."

"That's cheating!"

"How so?"

"You're the freakin' ANBU captain! There's a reason for that you know." Hinata threw her hands up in frustration.

"So? There are plenty of people stronger than me out there and how are you going to face them if you can't even face me." Sasuke reached over and began to play with a strand of her indigo hair.

"Sasuke, you're up there next to the future Hokage, there's only a hand full of people stronger than you, a few being tsunade, the kazekage, all the other kages, freakin WORLD LEADERS."

"Are you backing down?" He challenged.

"Wha- no!"

"Then spar with me."

"This is unfair."

"So you agree."

"No… but just to be clear if I win, you never speak of it again?"

"…Yes."

"And if you win, I have to quit?"

"Yup."

"…I'd like to change the terms. If I win, you don't bring this up again. If you win, I'll only _consider_ it."

Sasuke blanched but realized that was the closest he was going to get tonight. His wife was stubborn when she wanted to be, a characteristic that he hated but loved as well. "Fine. Tomorrow morning…and I won't go easy." Before she could protest, he pulled her on top of him and allowed her to rest her head on his chest. He reached up and pulled his fingers through her smooth locks and down her back.

Hinata bit back her retort and just simply let it go for the night. She was drained of any energy in her body and did not want to continue with their little argument. She allowed herself to melt into his warmth and hooked her arms around his torso as her head nestled into his chest, like he was her own personal pillow. The couple laid together, listening to the other's breathes. Eventually, Sasuke's breathing slowed and he fell asleep, leaving Hinata one final thought before she herself drifted off into the world of dreams.

_Sasuke sure likes his games._

The sun was setting over the market place when Hinata was done shopping. Since she had her spar this morning she didn't get any of the vegetables she usually did but left the market happy with her purchases. She glanced into her bag, full of ingredients for tonights meal. She closed the bag and continued walking towards her home until a little boy came running around the corner. He didn't seem to see her, so he when he turned the corner, he crashed right into her. Her ANBU skills left her upright with one hand steadying the boy who had begun to fall backwards.

The boy opened his eyes to reveal bright green orbs and a shock of dark hair. "Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't see you there!"

Hinata stiffled a giggle at how clumsy and flustered the boy was. It reminded her of a young Naruto after he got caught pulling a prank. "Ne, it's okay. Are you hurt?"

"Nope! Thanks to you, nee-chan. Ah! The food!"

In her rush to right the boy, the contents of her bag had spilled across the pavement, pasta rods were all over the street and the can of marinara sauce had broken, staining the walkway red. The bread and garlic powder had popped out of their respective containers and now lay strewn on the ground. The boy's eyes began to tear up when he realized what he'd caused.

"Ah no. It's okay don't bother. I'll just go back to the market to get more." He still continued to sniff and tears were about to spill. "How about you make up for it by accompanying me? Then it won't be so lonely." She smiled at him and offered her hand. The boy wiped his tears and smiled back at her. "Okay. I'm Tsubaki Aoi."

"Nice to meet you, Aoi-kun. My name is Uchiha Hinata."

His eyes widened at the name and his smiled became broader. "No way! You're married to Uchiha Sasuke?! I hear he's totally strong!"

"Hai, Aoi-kun. Very much so."

"Are you a ninja, Hinata-chan?"

"Ne I can't tell you."

"You totally are! Haha!" He gave her a big toothy grin. "I knew it!"

"Jaa- jaa, lets just go to the market. It's getting dark."

The two made their way to the market and Aoi stood by while Hinata sheepishly bought another can of marinara and another box of pasta from the same vendor. She decided they could do without the garlic bread. Once Hinata was done she turned to Aoi who'd been staring around the market.

"Now Aoi-kun, where d-"

"Ne, Hinata-chan. Who is that?"

Hinata looked to wear Aoi was pointing. Her eyes traveled up the side of a building to it's roof. A lone figure crouched, barely out of sight and his face was covered in cloth. Hinata caught the glimpse of the headband before the man ducked down out of her sight and her eyes widened.

"Aoi-kun, we have to get out of-"

Before she could finish, the market exploded around them.

**Hey guys! This is the first chapter of my very first fanfiction and I****'****m very honored to share it with you all.**

**Favorite, Follow, Review. Anything will do, just show me love. Or hate. Depending on your reaction to the story haha**

**Critique is always welcome! Also, I wouldn****'****t mind suggestions either about how you want the story to go! I have some ideas in mind but nothing****'****s concrete. I****'****m not sure where I****'****m gonna go with this but I have the next chapter planned out. I want to continue this story for a while so look forward to updates! **

**Much Love xoxo,**

**Uchiha Setsuka**


	2. I'll Take Care of It

**Unfortunately, I do not own Naruto. Enjoy!**

_"__Aoi-kun, we have to get out of-"_

_Before she could finish, the market exploded around them._

Darkness was all the she could comprehend. Darkness and something very, very heavy. Her ears were ringing from the explosion and she could feel a warm wetness slowly running down her forehead. She could vaguely hear the screams of panicked civilians and the distinct sound of weapon against weapon.

They were fighting.

_An invasion?_

Hinata gingerly opened her eyes, blinking slowly so they could adjust. She noticed her surroundings were mostly dark and cramped meaning she was under something, which would also explain the enormous weight on top of her. Small pockets of light streamed through and highlighted the textures of some of the light brown wood.

_Wood?_

Her eyes widened in realization. She instantly recalled the seconds proceeding the explosion. Grabbing Aoi and pushing herself to cover him with her body. The large wooden vendor cart that suddenly keeled over right above them. Pushing Aoi away. She was stuck under a massive amount of rubble, flat on her stomach. Something was sticking into her shoulder and what felt like a heavy beam was pressing down on her back. Either her tolerance for pain had improved or her adrenaline was keeping the brunt of it at bay until she could coherently register her current situation.

Something rumbled and something above her creaked. A large crash. Suddenly, an even larger weight was pressing down her and the stake that had pierced her shoulder was driven deeper. Hinata screamed and desperately activated her bloodline limit. She didn't know how much time she had left before this rubble would completely crush her and bury her in it's remains. She needed to find a way out because no way in hell was she going to die underneath a vegetable cart. What would her friends think? What about her family? And Sasuke?

_Sasuke…_

Where was he in this whole ordeal? Was he fighting or did he was he just recently informed. Either way, he was either here or on his way and she could not let him see her like this. Her sweater was torn and bloody and she could feel the dirt against her stomach. The rubble around her smelled of earth and bits of squash. She made a motion to lift her arms but her one arm did not comply due to the wound in her shoulder.

_Damn._

With one arm immobile, Hinata used her one elbow to slowly lift herself. The weight bore down on her even more now that she was resisting and it took all of her strength to keep her from collapsing right back down. Her legs shook with the effort and it reminded her of her fight with Pein. At least this was a little better than _that _experience. Hinata had risen to the point where she was in an odd crouching and planking position. Beads of sweat and drops of blood intermingled, dripping from her forehead into the ground beneath her. Her body heat, in addition to the confined space made the task twice as uncomfortable than what she would have preferred but it's not like she had preferred to be in this position anyways, so she went on with a grunt, shifting backwards little by little so that the beam was now resting it's entire weight on her good shoulder. She needed to do this correctly. If not, she would only succeed in getting the beam off of her while the rest of the structure would topple right back onto her. She needed to emit a powerful burst of chakra from her body but contain it enough that it would not harm any civilians or ninjas passing by. The blast would also take care of the stake in her shoulder but she would quickly have to bandage it to stop the blood flow. Hinata took a deep breath and steadied herself.

_One…Two…THREE!_

Blue chakra engulfed her body and she gave a sharp grunt as she sent out one sharp wave and flipped the beam with all her might. She felt the stake being pushed out from her shoulder and winced at the sudden release. Hinata wasted no time in darting from the wreckage while ripping the sleeve of her sweater and wrapping it around her torso and over her shoulder. She also looked back to notice the large beam landing where it had been before except without her underneath it. A rare, smug smile tugged at her lips but disappeared when she noticed a few of the larger pieces of wood were sailing towards the market buildings despite her attempt to contain it. Hinata immediately sent out chakra strings from her fingers and caught the flying debris in mid air. She twisted her body and swung her disabled arm so that the wood went in the opposite direction towards the fields.

With a heavy breath, Hinata ducked into an alleyway and did her best to ignore the chaos that surrounded her. She could now feel the full extent of the pain and groaned. She had several cuts on her arms and legs and she could feel the entirety of her bruised back. Her only major wound was the one in her shoulder, which she immediately tended to.

_I need to be quick. I can't fight like this._

Ten minutes passed before her shoulder was completely healed, save for a bright pink scar. She could deal with the scrapes and cuts later but for now, her village needed her.

Hinata wondered what had happened to Aoi. Did he run off? Was he safe? She turned her head to look for the boy when a ninja suddenly bombarded her. Her ANBU skills allowed her to flick out a kunai from her pouch and parry the blow in the time it took for the nin to reach her. She immediately pushed his arm outwards and fast enough so that it swung, leaving his chest wide open. She pocketed her kunai and charged her fingers with chakra, hitting the specific tenketsu points that would leave him paralyzed. The nin collapsed and Hinata withdrew handcuffs from her pouch and bound him. She would leave him there for someone to pick up and bring him back to headquarters for interrogation. It was no risk leaving him there.

"Hinata!"

Turning around she spotted Sakura running towards her, her fists pumped with green chakra. Her pink hair was falling out of her usual short ponytail and her headband was slightly askew. Dirt marred her face and her clothes were streaked with blood. She had a panic in her eyes that was different than what Hinata was seeing in the eyes of all the other ninja, the surprise and shock of an invasion was missing in Sakura as she ran frantically at Hinata.

They ran towards each other but were forced to go back to back as more nin surrounded them. Sakura jumped into a high spinning kick aimed at the opponent in front of her while Hinata ducked down to deliver a low kick, knocking two of them down onto their backs. She turned to the nin beside her and captured his arm. His hand held a kunai aimed at her thigh which she dislodged with a hard chop to his inner wrist. She swung him to her other side just as Sakura finished off another opponent and turned to meet Hinata's flustered opponent with her chakra charged fist. Hinata released him as he flew back and through the wall of a building. Only two more remained and by now they were wary of approaching. Hinata and Sakura nodded before attacking their chosen victims. Sakura cut off the chakra powering her arms and rushed at her opponent. As fancy as she wanted be, she knew she had to reserve her chakra and her energy. Striking him down in the quickest, fastest way possible would have to do.

The nin jumped at her and the pink medic sharply bent back, sliding under him on her knees as the ribbons of her headband grazed the ground. She immediately shot up and back flipped. The nin had missed her in his initial attack and his back was to the pretty but lethal medic. That would be his downfall. In seconds, Sakura landed with her shins on his shoulders and before her full weight could rest on the nin, she locked her shins around his neck and forcefully twisted her hips. Sakura pushed off into another backflip, landing gracefully on her feet in front of the now fallen nin.

On the other side, Hinata immediately lept into the air and placed a small gengutsu on her opponent, making his reality seem as though she evaporated into thin air. He looked around disoriented and frantic, slashing at the air as if he could hack apart her molecules. Poor soul, if only he hadn't threatened her village. She formed the proper seals in sequence for the Kage Bunshiin No Jutsu and created a double. She released the genjutsu as her clone appeared in front of him while the real Hinata circled around back. The nin sliced at her clone, who did nothing to defend herself and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. By the time it cleared, Hinata had kicked the back of her opponents knees which caused his legs to buckle and for him to fall backwards. She quickly spun, almost as if she was dancing, and caught his neck with the pit of her right knee. She steeled her left leg to support her one legged stance while also supporting the weight of her opponent. Faster than he could blink or make a sound, she drew a kunai and flicked her wrist at his vulnerable throat. She released her leg and he fell to the ground, unmoving. When Hinata turned around, Sakura had just finished up as well, kicking off into a run with bluenette following her.

"Sakura, what's going on?"

"Tsunade-sama has ordered a Code 4. All ANBU level to the front whereas all those at Jounin will rake the village for stragglers." The pink haired medic lead Hinata from the streets onto roofs, picking up speed now that they were away from the crowds.

"Ne, I mean what's really going on. Is this an invasion?"

"Hai. Apparently, there was a spy in the village. Someone put a paper bomb on a section of the west wall and it exploded. That's when the invasion began and missing nin began to pour in." The two kunoichi launched themselves onto the side of a particularly large building and applied chakra to their feet to scale it. "These guys can't be identified, they don't have headbands but they use ninjutsu."

They were nearing the wall and could hear the commotion that was battle. "They range from all levels so be alert." Sakura bounded off towards the field and began to engage in a close range fight with an enemy ninja. Hinata flitted past her, further into the disarray of enemy and ally. She stopped to block an awry attack, grabbing the person's arm and kneeing them in the gut. She quickly moved on and bounded for the wall. Her eyes glazed over in shock as she looked at it. The once steady stone wall now had a gaping hole in it's infrastructure, as large as one of the monument heads, and leagues of rogue shinobi were spilling into the village. She recognized a few of her comrades in the fray. Shikamaru, Choji and Ino were combining their efforts into the infamous Ino-Shika-Cho formation which took care about three-eighths of what was coming in. A white blur flew by above her which she recognized as Kiba's signature Double Fang maneuver. He landed a bit away and caused several nin to either blow back or lose their footing depending on the distance between them. Shino was off to the side, taking care of three nins by himself. He didn't look the least bit tired as his bugs took care of the offensive. Further towards the broken wall, Hinata spotted Tenten in the middle of battle, summoning weapon after weapon. An onslaught of kunai and shuriken rained down on her multiple opponents and the weapons mistress landed lightly on her feet, only to spin and knock out a nin with her giant scroll. She stopped to catch her breath but four more nin came at her. Hinata made a move to step in but before she could, a green blur lodged itself in between Tenten and her enemies. Hinata turned away knowing the Lee would take care of her. He would never let anything happen to her, especially after what happened with…

Hinata shook away her thoughts as she activated her eyes. Her normal eyesight was taking too long to find him. But her enhanced eyes landed on who she was looking for in less than a second. He was a few leagues away, in a more dense part of the forest but she only needed three giant sprint leaps to land by his side. A blur of trees rushed by her as she picked up momentum and speed, bursting into the small clearing and landing with her back to her husband. Sasuke only glanced at her, his eyes widening fraction, before refocusing entirely on his enemy. He took out his opponent in less than a second and performed the seals for Katon. Heat engulfed the area in front of him and several ninjas leaped out of the way before cautiously approaching again. Hinata lit her hands with blue chakra and fought enemies of her own, striking them in their vitals with her bloodline limit activated.

"What happened to you?" he asked, as he powered Chidori.

Hinata raised an eyebrow as they backed against each other. He had taken notice of her torn sweater and cuts while she had noticed his body was completely unmarred and clean.

"I was at the market." Her palms slammed into the chest of a nin as Sasuke's chidori lengthened to cut through the masses. "Why are there so many this deep into the forest?"

"They're most likely a unit designated to infiltrate rather than engage directly. They're making their way to the village."

More rogues began to circle them, like they had on the outskirts of the market with her and Sakura. Except there were more than just six. The group that surrounded consisted of a little more than twenty five.

"We'll then we can't let them pass."

"Hn."

They didn't even have to look at each other before dropping into offensive stances and readying themselves. The nins advanced as the couple stood stark still. At the last second, Sasuke reached around for his wife's hands and grabbed onto them. He swung her around so that her feet kicked out and struck whoever stood in close radius. Three. He dropped her onto her feet and she twisted right into her Gentle Step Twin Lion Fist combined with the Eight Triagrams Sixty Four Palms. Five. Sasuke activated his Sharingan and sent seven of his opponents to their knees, his genjutsu capturing them in their worst nightmare.

As Hinata's opponent fell, both she and Sasuke spun to face each other. They performed the signature seals for Katon, with Hinata's seals differing by one, in quick succession and placed their fists by their lips.

"Katon Fireball Jutsu!"

"Katon Waterfall Jutsu!"

The two opposing elements shot out at one another, colliding and hissing as they made contact. The entire area was now surrounded by a dense fog, nearly blinding the opponents to anything that was not two feet in front of them.

"Where did they go?!"

"Shit I can't see anything!"

"Keep ahold of yourself, stay calm!"

Hinata could sense the panic rising and shook her head regrettably. She didn't like hurting others, no matter how malicious. But there was no other way around it. They came to attack her village and if there was anything she hated more than hurting other people, it was other people hurting the ones she cared for. Hinata ducked from a wayward sword, a panicking nin who swung blindly. Her byakugan allowed her to see Sasuke, who stood almost invisibly in the fog. His eyes flashed red and he gave a sharp nod at her to proceed. Hinata did not need any more indication before she slammed her hands down onto the dirt, water spilling out from her hands. The liquid seeped into the ground and began to increase in radius around her. She looked up and saw a few nins looking down with curious and fearful stares as the water soaked into their shoes. When the water had surrounded the majority of the nins, Hinata leaped backwards out of fog and landed smoothly on a stump a few meters away. The distinct sound of a thousand chirping birds filled their air before a flash of light came from the center of the fog and screams erupted. The fog cleared to reveal the nins lying facedown on the ground, all twitching of electrocution. Sasuke stood in the center, his Chidori slowly fading out, with thin layer of chakra lining the bottoms of his feet. Hinata stared at him as he walked to stand by her side, the chakra disappearing. His dark ebony eyes betraying none of the emotions stirring within. His gaze raked over her body in search of injury, a small frown forming when he spotted her marred shoulder and cut forehead. Hinata glanced to the side, unable to look at him directly. A part of her was rather annoyed that she could not bring herself to get used to his intense gaze, even if they were married. If they were married, they should be equals right? Yet why did she still blush whenever he looked at her that way? It was infuriating.

"Che, you know they're called forehead protecters for a reason." His fingers brushed lightly over her cut. Hinata snapped out of her bashfulness for a moment to swat his hand away, her own hand coming up to seal the gash.

"I-I think my neck is a more vulnerable spot."

"Hn."

"OI TEME! HINATA-CHAN!"

Sasuke and Hinata turned to find Naruto and Sakura jogging for them, their ripped pieces of clothing flapping wildly in the wind behind them and looking a little worse for wear. They came to an abrupt stop, words spilling before their clothes settled.

"The enemy retreated and-"

"We're supposed to-"

Both paused and looked at each other in slight annoyance before Naruto crossed his arms and shifted his weight from leg to the other, indicating for Sakura to go ahead.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura stated slowly and clearly, "The enemy has started to retreat. We don't know how or why but they're running. Tsunade-sama has ordered for the capture of any conscious enemy nin. But until then, all ANBU units are assigned to secure the wall and barricade it.

All four gave a small nod before Naruto and Sakura jumped off, leaving nothing but a whistle of wind. Hinata took a step to follow before Sasuke caught her wrist.

"Go home, I'll take care of it."

Hinata opened her mouth to protest but was cut off by his smooth lips catching hers. She gave an initial squeek of surprise before melting entirely into him and kissing him back with eagerness. His hand reached around her waist to rest at the small of her back, pulling her closer and deeper into the kiss as she reached up to his dark locks, combing her fingers through them. They were so lost in the moment that they almost forgot that they were in a field full of dead/twitching nins.

Almost.

Hinata broke the kiss and backed away, a blush on her cheeks the only evidence of their stolen moment. Sasuke's face was back to its usual stoic expression though his eyes studied her with a slight glimmer of humor. Hinata glanced at him quickly to see the corner of his lips threatening to break into that cheeky grin of his.

"Y-You should probably go n-now."

"Hn."

Sasuke reached behind him to secure his katana before trotting off in the direction Naruto and Sakura had gone.

"Wait!"

"What?" Sasuke stopped and turned to face his wife. He took a moment to appreciate the sight of his lover standing tall and strong, above a pile of her opponents. Strands of her midnight hair blew in the direction of the wind, her braid drifting softly with it. Her wide pearly eyes flitted unsurely between him and the nins on the ground. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, waiting for her.

"W-What do we do with them?"

Sasuke glanced at her before turning back around and walking away.

"Like I said, go home. I'll take care of it."

**I'm sorry for the delay! I never knew how difficult it would be to keep up with college, life, family and activities and stuff. ****And**** by activities, I mean nap hahahahahahaha. **

**Shut**** up Setsuka, you're not funny. **

**Boo.**

**Anyways, I ****hope you**** all enjoyed but in the case that you didn't, feel free to leave a comment or a critique. It'd be cool to point out spelling errors and such ****cause**** this is 4000 words we're looking at here. I won't find it :/**

**OKAY so here's what I've been thinking for a while. Actually, the entire time I was writing these chapters, I was ****thinking it. I NEED A BETA WRITER. LIKE STAT. I can try to do this story all by my lonesome but I swear I'll go insane. I tend to overthink it and I'm always afraid that there are some things that need fixing or there's something missing, I just really need a proof reader and someone who will write and create this story with me :) And I'm not about to ask anyone I know like, "Hey you probe think it's so dorky but can you proof read my Naruto fan fiction? Kay thanks." Haha no. Unfortunately.**

**SO ANY TAKERS? PLEASE MESSAGE ME OR SOMETHING! YOU SAW HOW LONG THIS TOOK ME BY MYSELF! IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY.**

**Much love,**

**Uchiha Setsuka**


	3. She Felt Safe

**I do not own Naruto.**

Hinata stood with her arms outstretched, examining her torn and bloodied sweater. She stared at it for another three minutes before dropping it heavily into the waste basket, sighing dejectedly.

'_Ninja Rule # 142: Do not wear your favorite sweater to battle.'_

It had been hours since the battle ended, yet Sasuke was still not home and Hinata was bored. A simple homemade dinner was basically impossible since the market was destroyed, so Hinata decided to make a quick run for ramen from Ichiraku's. She laced up her boots once more and raced out of the house. It was about two hours to closing time and Hinata did not want to be THAT person.

The streets of Konoha were quiet, since the town was on lock down for the night. Windows and doors were most likely locked tight and the people beyond them were probably in bed by this hour. Luckily, the houses in this neighborhood seemed to be untouched by the invasion. Hinata thought about the families living near the borders of The Village of the Hidden Leaves, how their windows and roofs were blown in or their homes collapsed completely. How were they? Did they have a warm place to sleep tonight?

Hinata looked up to examine the night sky. A billion twinkles of light dotted the darkness above her and Hinata couldn't help but breath in deeply. The chill of the air gave her lungs a refreshing feel and a small but long breeze whistled through her hair. Hinata closed her eyes and smiled to herself, basking in the beauty that was night. She knew her place was always going to be in the sun but she couldn't help but admire the night and the calmness it settled on her. Opening her eyes again, she looked up towards the infinity of stars.

Hinata continued walking until she reached the small ramen stand and saw that it was already crowded. Fighters from the battle were probably facing the same dinner dilemma and the little booth seemed like it was going tumble over from the number of people eating and waiting in line. Hinata smiled upon seeing a certain blonde fight his way through the crowd with a bag and wrapped chopsticks in hand. He almost fell to the ground before Hinata ran up and caught his arm.

Naruto righted himself almost immediately and turned to tell off the person who tripped him but stopped when he saw Hinata holding his arm.

"Oh! Hinata-chan, thanks so much!" The orange-clad nin rubbed the back of his head and laughed boisterously. "That could've ended really badly. I would've stood in line for nothing!"

"Ah, it's okay." Hinata smiled warmly to Naruto. "It's pretty crowded in there, isn't it?"

"Yeah, tell me about it. I stood in line for an hour just to get two bowls! The battle left everyone pretty drained and Ichiraku's is the only place that's open late enough."

"That's good though, at least everyone will get to eat, even if it means waiting." Hinata looked sullenly at the booth. The line was pretty long and her stomach was already beginning to growl.

"Hey, how are you by the way? I saw you were pretty beat up on the battlefield. You're not hurt badly, are you? Sasuke told me your shoulder was pretty banged up but I told him you could take care of yourself-" Naruto scratched his head. "But you never know, like if you ever needed anything Sakura said she would take a look at you-"

Hinata started laughing and nodded, "Naruto! I'm fine, thank you for asking. I'm just trying to buy dinner." As if on cue, her stomach growled.

"Hinata, did you eat yet?" Naruto looked at her skeptically.

"No, I was going to get ramen but the line looks a little long. I think I'll just go home and think of something else…"

"No wait! You should come over and eat with Sakura and I! I got the really big bowls so we can split it. Teme would probably wanna eat something too!" Naruto grabbed her hands smiled at her sheepishly. "Plus, I need to make up for all the times I broke your door down."

Hinata couldn't help but laugh at her husband's best friend. In the early stages of their marriage, Sasuke had been elected for ANBU Captain and the eccentric blonde had come busting through their doors almost every other day for training. Apparently, it was something Naruto had grown accustomed to doing since Sasuke had lived alone before. The marriage was a drastic change and it had taken a while for Naruto to grasp it until he had walked in on something rather…physical between the two. After that it rarely ever happened unless something was of utmost importance, in which case Naruto would give the courtesy of three hard knocks before kicking down the door.

On the bright side, Sasuke and Hinata were single handedly funding the home construction business down the street.

"So what do you say?" Hinata snapped out of her reverie to smile at Naruto.

"I would love to but Sasuke would want to be home after all this and Sakura would probably be too tired for company. I think it'd be better if we let them rest…But thank you for inviting us! It's so kind of you." Hinata gave him another bright smile. Naruto was crazy impulsive as he was generous. It was one of the traits that made her fall for him all those years ago.

"Oh yeah, that's right haha. Um but hey!" He rustled through his bag and pulled out one of the large bowls of ramen. "You should take this! Teme would kill me if he knew I let you stand in line for an hour."

Her eyes widened and she shook her head in protest, "Ano, I can't! It's yours!"

Naruto shoved the bowl into her waving hands and threw a pair of chopsticks on top of the lid. "Nah, it's okay. I can always split this one with Sakura."

Hinata looked back and forth between the bowl in her hands and Naruto's grinning face, unsure of what she should do. She knew how much Naruto could eat when it came to ramen and half a bowl would definitely not fill him. But on the other hand, she didn't want to stand in line and be another customer that Ichiraku had to worry about.

"You can fight with yourself all you want, I'm not taking the bowl back."

Hinata smiled softly and bent into a bow. "Arigato, Naruto." The blonde waved at her before leaping off onto the roofs and dashing away towards his home.

"No problem, Hinata-chan!"

Hinata turned and began trekking her way back to her own home, smiling along the way.

Sasuke was tired. Actually, that was an understatement. He was on the brink of passing out, the embodiment of what it was like to be truly exhausted. It was even worse when he came home to find his wife missing from the house. He checked all the hidden kunais throughout the house and found none of them missing, so his anxiety was lessened knowing that she wasn't kidnapped or in any trouble. Still, he couldn't help but feel frustrated whenever she wasn't in his sight. As an ANBU Captain, he was ready for anything. An assassin could pop right out in front of him at this very moment and he would be able to kill him/her in less than a minute. Essentially, it meant that he had come to be the very best at expecting the unexpected.

_'Something could be happening to her right now and I wouldn't know.'_

The thought itself aggravated him and he couldn't focus on anything else. Tsunade had held him and a few others at the tower to debrief them on the situation and to propose possible solutions. Naruto, Shikamaru and Sasuke stood inside her office for hours, discussing plans to first re-build the wall, strengthen the infrastructure and all these other details that swam through Sasuke's mind. He had just wanted to go home, take a shower, and go to bed. Was that so much to ask for?

He slid his fingers through his spiky black hair. It was completely messed up but Sasuke couldn't have cared less. In fact his entire persona was messed up. His uniform was smeared with dirt and blood from picking up the electrocuted nins and his usual stoic facade was transformed into a very tired, sullen looking man who just _didn't give a fuck._

And to top it all off, his wife wasn't home so he couldn't take care of any of it. It was just plain sad how much of a hold she had on him. Sasuke leaned against the wall and ran his hand through his hair. He knew the severity of bonds and how easily they could be interpreted as weaknesses. Sasuke tried to keep as few as he could, which is probably why most of the people around him and a number of his colleagues weren't too fond of him. On the other hand, when he allowed it, bonds constricted him a thousand times more than they did others. After all he's been through, Sasuke took such precarious lengths to make sure they would _never _ever break. He made sure on his end as well as the others. Naruto and Hinata were sworn to him whether they liked it or not and Sasuke himself swore that he would protect them in every way he could. His way of the ninja was much more personal and selfish than he would like to admit.

_'To protect the ones I care for, and only the ones I care for."_

Sasuke took a deep breath to steady himself. He was ANBU Captain not because he wanted to exceed his brothers legacy nor did he take the job for himself. He took it at the insistence of Naruto, who had bugged him about it for days before the raven caved. The responsibility doubled when Hinata had applied and joined ANBU without his knowledge. They weren't even dating at the time so there wasn't anything Sasuke could have done about it. Though he had realized his feelings for her around that time, it wasn't his place to stop her. He remembered how his breath hitched when he found her file in the applicants pile. The raven wanted to confront her about it but no one knew of his identity as ANBU captain, so he held his tongue. Sasuke almost laughed the day she showed up and saw him standing at the front of the ANBU squad, her eyes almost bugged out from her head. But from that day onwards, Sasuke would be subjected to anxiety attacks (which he had to smother rather intensely) whenever Hinata would fall, injure herself, or worse. Though none of it could compare to when the new male trainees would train a little too close to her.

Possessive had such a negative connotation. Sasuke preferred to describe himself as _protective _over his belongings. Hinata was worth far more than any inanimate object but Sasuke couldn't think of her as anything but _his_. She was strong, beautiful, loving, and devoted but above all, she was his. He had thought about her that way since he'd confessed his feelings for her. Of course, in his own special way.

Sasuke's lips twitched into a smirk, thinking about that day…

_Flashback_

"Hyuuga Hinata!"

The bluenette immediately stepped out of line, her back ramrod straight with eyes forward and hands by her sides. "Hai, Anko-sensei!"

"Hyuuga, for your test, you'll be sparring with Kasinami Saido."

Sasuke kept his face straight, casting a bored glance over to the man who had stepped out of line. The man was menacing, to say the least. Saido had a prominent scar that ran down the length of his cheek and was at last two feet taller than Hinata. Sasuke had seen the man fight, he was big but fast as well, a combination that was rather uncommon. Kasinami Saido was ranked number five in the most recent evaluations whereas Hinata had scored seventh. Sasuke had to keep his breathing in check. Whether or not the others could tell that he was fuming was beyond him. He wasn't worried that Hinata would lose; he was confident in his instructing abilities. He was more worried about 'Kasinami Saido' and his wandering eyes and hands. Last week, he had caught scar-face looking where he shouldn't have and Sasuke wouldn't put it past the guy to take advantage of the current situation.

He looked over to Hinata where she was surveying the weapons rack. Each competitor had a choice of any weapon and during her training, Hinata had asked him to leave her alone in this decision. Several weeks had passed and still she kept it a secret, wanting to surprise him with her choice. Sasuke was a little curious as to what weapon she would pick, so he spent weeks predicting which weapon would be the most compatible for her. Her bloodline limit was short ranged so her fighting would be kept short ranged. To make her fighting more efficient and her attacks deadly she should probably pick something along the lines of short swords or just kunai.

Sasuke observed her, his face expectant as she paused in front of the short weapons. Hinata seemed to be at war with herself, staring blankly down the rows of delicately crafted hilts and blades. Sasuke nodded to himself as she placed her hand on an emerald hilted blade. It was about the length of her forearm and slim which would make it easier for her to handle. Her eyes flashed to her opponent on the other end of the field, who was swinging around a large staff with a thick blade attached to the end. Hinata closed her eyes to take a breath and when she reopened them, something had changed in her expression. Her hand slipped into a simple caress as she moved past the rows of daggers and short swords.

_'No?' _Sasuke frowned. It deepened when the bluenette reached the rack of bows and arrows, bending down and picking up a quiver of arrows onto her shoulder and the bow, which she held.

For once, Sasuke was completely baffled. A bow and arrows were so impractical on the battlefield, only good when the enemy was still oblivious. They required one another to operate, if you had one but not the other, the whole idea would be useless. And most of all, they took time. Nins, especially on a higher level such as ANBU, did not have time. Things happened in milliseconds.

_'What is she thinking?'_

As ANBU captain, Sasuke was in charge of admitting all the new applicants if they passed. He was also in charge of overseeing the final rounds of the competition and his breath caught when he found Hinata on the list of finalists. Hinata had passed the initial application, the various processes of elimination and now she was fighting for one of the five open positions out of the 20 of them. As number 7, her chances were good but only marginally since the higher ranking applicants tend to fight each other.

Sasuke looked back towards the field where the two competitors were facing one another. There was a slight breeze that rustled the trees and a small stream trickled through a sector of the clearing. Boulders lined the south edge and cut off into small piles of rubble. It was the perfect arena for all types of fighting; elemental, as well as physical. The large clearing that they stood in was almost a perfect circle and the rest of the applicants lined the border to watch, all anticipating who the victor would be. There were already two victors; Shikamaru and Tenten stood on the sidelines with the proctors. Their losing opponents were no where in the proximity of the clearing, seeing how they had to be shipped off to the medical center immediately after their spars.

A bell rang throughout the clearing and Anko stepped in between the two opponents; Hinata with a metal plated bow and sharpened arrows, and Saido with his hefty bladed staff.

"This is a test to determine who, between the two of you, are better qualified to be a member of ANBU. You have been pitted against each other at random and there was no bias decisions in the process. The weapons you choose are unchangeable and cannot be switched out for a different weapon or a replacement if broken. You have thirty minutes to take down your opponent. If time runs out and there is no clear victor, there will be a sudden death and first person to land a hit wins. The match is won when one opponent is in an advantageous position that indicates impending death for the other or seems to have considerably more leverage than the other. As it applies to all parts of the ANBU admittance process, if an applicant fails at any part, they will be subjected to having their memories erased. In addition, if death should occur, ANBU is not responsible or at fault since you have agreed to the terms and conditions during your application." Anko turned to each of them "To finalize, do you agree with the terms and conditions?"

"Hm."

"Hai."

"First one that KOs loses." Anko nods her head once before leaping out of the clearing and landing alongside the proctors.

She raised her arm and looked at them both before bring her hand down.

"BEGIN!"

Hinata wasted no time and sprinted the opposite direction towards the tree line behind her. Saido followed not too far behind, holding his spear in front of him that promised to impale her if she slowed down even remotely. Hinata darted up into the tree and landed on a branch, not waiting even a moment to catch her breath before notching her bow and shooting an arrow out and across the entire clearing. It landed with a dull thunk on a tree at the opposite end of the circle. She then leaped out of the tree, bending at the knees and falling into a roll before standing upright again. By then Saido was already on her, spear outstretched and ready to thrust into her abdomen. Hinata's eyes widened in panic and on instinct dipped into a low duck which evaded the blade by a hair. The spear immediately retracted and sprung forward for another stab. Hinata side stepped the spear and spun past it to reach for Sora's pressure points.

"Byakugan!"

Her bloodline limit activated and she was able to see her opponent's tenketsu points. But her eyes widened when she realized how much flesh and muscle were between the surface of the skin and the tenketsu point. She reached for the one on his arm that held the staff and pressed as hard as she could. Her chakra only reached a third of the way into his arm before she was immediately shoved back with Saido's forearm.

"Not so fast, bitch." Her opponent lifted his spear and brought it down right above her. Hinata rolled away just in time, straining her muscles to bring her upright again.

"Little girls shouldn't play such dangerous games!"

_'Back to Plan A.'_

Hinata turned and sprinted to another section of the tree line and leaped into the branches before whipping the bow around and snapping an arrow in place. She took a breath, pulling the string of the bow as far as it would go and release on her exhale, letting the arrow soar across the clearing once more, landing on a tree about 20 degrees beside the first tree. She shifted her aim to her far right and let another arrow fly.

"_Where the fuck _are shooting?! Come out, princess! You can't hide forever!" Saido had retreated back to the center of the clearing and was swinging his spear around wildly. "Might as well surrender now and I might go easy on you!"

The bluenette flitted past ten more trees before pulling more arrows out of her quiver and shooting it through the clearing one by one at different sections and positions in the tree line. She shot one particularly close to Saido which he ducked sloppily.

"Wow, almost got me that time didn't ya! Little girl, if you're not gonna fight, why do you even bother?!" Hinata took her last arrow and aimed it directly at the back of her opponent. The Byakugan allowed her to see his chakra flow and it impressed her with how much of it he had in his system. With a long deep breath, she released her arrow and sent it at full speed towards her opponent.

"THERE YOU ARE."

Saido whipped around and in one swift movement, cut down the arrow that came for him. With one hand, he tossed his spear to the other and threw it with all his might at her position in the tree line. It came so fast that Hinata didn't have time to properly pivot off the tree but instead, fell ungracefully out of the branches and onto her back. Looking up for a moment, Hinata saw that the spear had lodged itself right where her head would have been, the tree trunk split in two.

This man wasn't trying to beat her. He was trying to kill her.

Hinata immediately pushed herself to get up. She left the bow and quiver where they'd fallen and stared out into the direction of her opponent, who had fallen into his fighting stance. Saido was mocking her, smirking arrogantly as he flicked his fingers at her, beckoning her to make the first move. He was an arrogant fellow, too loud and too big.

Hinata started running at him, then sprinting. The veins in her eyes throbbed and she channeled more chakra into her palms.

_'This ends now.'_

She leapt into the air, glaring at her opponent with her enhanced eyes and brought her loaded palm down on his left shoulder. Saido grunted at the impact but recovered quickly, smiling grimly at her before he elbowed her in her side. Hinata's eyes widened as she saw the chakra shift in his body, concentrating at his elbow which he used to attack her. The hit caused her to spit out some blood and she instinctively rolled to the ground and moved away. Once she got up, she gripped her damaged side and wiped the blood off her mouth. His attacks were a variation of Sakura's attacks but they were less reformed and barely controlled.

_'This could be a weakness.'_

"So you finally decided to come out of hiding! Let's play for real now, little girl!" Saido lunged at her bringing his fists down above her. Hinata quickly turned and crouched, placing one leg behind for support and thrusted her hands behind her into the chest of her opponent. He stumbled back for only a second but she didn't allow herself to pause. She turned completely and fell into her Jyuuken stance, her fists flaring with blue chakra. Hinata delivered a strike to his side and spun on her toes to build momentum for a kick to the same side. The first blow landed but once again, the chakra in his body shifted to his side and when her kick made impact, the chakra dispersed and sent her flying back.

Saido was on her before she could even stand up again. He channeled chakra into his foot and kicked her onto her side. Hinata screamed and attempted to slide away but he delivered another chakra charged kick, this time to her back. It sent her tumbling halfway across the clearing, grass and dirt flying when her body collided with the ground.

Hinata twisted her body and dug her fingers into the dirt, clawing at the earth to stop her movement. She spit out bits of blood, the red staining the bright green grass. Her ponytail had fallen out and her uniform was torn in different places but never the less, Hinata pushed herself up and stood upright, going as far as to stand taller despite the pain. She stared impassively at Sora, who watched her with curious but terrifying eyes. She studied him for a moment before doing what she did best.

She smiled at him.

"If you don't mind,… it's my turn."

Holding out her hand for him to see, Hinata produced a medium sized flame of white chakra. The fire seemed to catch on to something, tracing and trailing it's way outward, almost as if it were following lines that dispersed in different directions.

On the sidelines, Sasuke watched impassively, his facade a stoic calmness even though his insides were anything but. Hinata was badly injured and Saido didn't look like he was competing. He was honestly fighting. Though Sasuke would usually commend the notion, this was an ANBU _try out._ Some people died but no one needed to die. And even if they did, it was usually in the obstacle course where there were booby traps and flying daggers.

But Saido was going for her head.

Sasuke was only a moment away from calling the whole thing off. An erased mind was better than an erased existence. He had raised his hand almost halfway before Hinata had sprung back onto her feet again with her posture tall and strong despite the attacks she received. Sasuke frowned when she forced herself to smile at her opponent. It was meant to convey confidence but all Sasuke saw was a pained grimace. He watched has she produced a white flame and observed as the white chakra began to disperse, moving along and highlighting what seemed to be a hundred thin strings that ran in different directions across the clearing.

Sudden clarity dawned on him and Sasuke couldn't help but smirk. Hinata was a lot cheekier than she lead herself on to be.

The white chakra followed the invisible chakra strands that Hinata herself had latched onto the base of each and every arrow.

When the white chakra had reached the outermost parts of the clearing, it revealed an irregular grid that ran at different angles and levels.

"AH!"

Saido gave a large yelp as his forearm touched a hot strand of chakra that ran by him. There was another strand that ran between his lower legs, another that ran behind him and one above him.

"If you would like me to explain, it was my plan from the beginning to constrict you." Hinata stared impassively at her opponent who was most likely devising a way to get to her, past the sea of burning white chakra lines.

"The lines burn as you probably noticed, though they cannot harm me because it is my own chakra." Hinata dropped into her Jyuuken stance, her palms flitting forward and settling. "Thus I am free to move, while you are not."

Saido released a cry of outrage and aim his spear at her.

_'It looks like he'll fight me anyway. Alright.'_

_"_Good Luck, Kasinami Saido."

With that, Hinata charged at him, her first glowing with her Twin Lion Fists. Saido lunged with his spear, lowering his head to avoid the chakra strand above him. Because of this, the spear went a fraction of an inch to the right and Hinata was able to pivot left past the spear and landed a hard punch to his side. Saido screamed but held his footing. He pulled his spear to swipe at her but Hinata ducked low and looked up to find the spear head cut off by the chakra strand at her side. She smiled and lept at him, her palms digging into his chest and releasing a pulse of chakra. Saido fell back and the chakra strand behind him seared his flesh. He dropped down, releasing his grasp on his beheaded spear.

_'NOW.'_

Hinata rushed to stand above him, to gain the leverage and the advantageous position to win the match but before she could get close enough, Saido released a massive burst of chakra that came from the entirety of his body. The forced blasted the bluenette twenty feet back, knocking the breath out her in the process. She landed on her back, staring at the sky past her white chakra strands that were now covered in a blue glow.

_'He counterattacked.'_

Hinata directed her gaze back down and at Saido, he was struggling to stand but a menacing smile formed on his lips. He looked at a chakra strand soaked in his own chakra and wrapped his hand around it. It didn't burn him. She didn't have immunity anymore. She wrapped her own hand around the chakra string.

_'Good news: It doesn't burn."_

She looked at Saido who now stood to his full height, his sights set on her and her demise.

_'Bad news: It's a trap.'_

Sasuke stared at the battle in wonderment. It was certainly the most interesting match he'd come to witness in the tryouts. The other ANBU trainees were cheering and pumping their fists, their noise unheard by the opponents who were focused entirely on each other.

"YEAH SAIDO!"

"LET'S GO HINATA! YOU CAN DO IT!"

Sasuke crossed his arms and stared at Hinata. Who knew that the shy, quiet bluenette could pull off something like that. Surely she had the upper hand but now that Saido had counterattacked with his own chakra, it was anyones game. Both were majorly injured.

Beside him, Anko whistled. "FIVE MINUTES!"

Sasuke watched as Hinata's eyes widened. She pushed herself upright and quickly stood in a rush. Her hands glowed blue again and she readied herself into her stance. Saido charged, ducking and sidestepping the chakra strands. Hinata sprinted, proving to be more nimble as she flitted passed the stands and flipped past others. There was a small section of the field that wasn't entirely riddled with strands and they headed straight at each other towards it. Saido slid into it at the same moment Hinata dove above a line and rolled into the Saido's position. Hinata noticed her close proximity and transitioned immediately from her roll into a handstand and extended her legs, twisting her body into a wheel kick. Saido stepped back and dropped low for a sweep kick to her hands. Hinata pushed up and landed upright on the other side of his swiping leg. She followed up with a backhand fist to his shoulder, flaring her chakra for impact. But Saido was quick, raising his forearm and flaring his own chakra to counter. He twisted his forearm and grabbed her wrist, pulling her down and switching his weight to his sweeping leg to bring a knee into her side. Hinata pivoted her abdomen and partially avoided the attack. It connected with the lower side of her back and she arched, a silent scream on her lips. On instinct alone, she rolled her palm to brace for support. She backflipped and landed on her feet, ripping her hand out of Saido's grasp.

"TWO MINUTES!"

Taking only a milisecond to catch her breath, Hinata charged again, her fists flaring blue with her Twin Lion Fists. She would win. She had to. The bluenette swipe with her left and right, grazing her opponent as she drove him back to the chakra strands. She swiped left and continued the momentum for a round kick. He countered with his own kick, charged with chakra and met hers. There was a sickening crack before shock settled over her. Her leg fell back and her body shifted to put weight on it. It took all her willpower and unwilling tears to keep her upright. Hinata made a desperate swipe to the right but Saido brought his hand down on her wrist and sharply tugged.

Her eyes widened. Hinata grunted and dug her good foot into the ground and pushed for more momentum to spin around. After one full revolution she quickly lept and ran her feet up Saido's chest, each step sending a flare of white hot pain. She pushed off with a burst of her last chakra and will before he could pull her in for a punch. Her wrist snapped from the force of Saido's grasp and how roughly she pushed off. Hinata screamed and cradled her wrist to her chest as she landed on her side.

Saido fell onto his back from the force, groaning from the pain.

"TIME! SUDDEN DEATH! FIRST ONE TO LAND A HIT WINS THE MATCH."

Hinata's breathing was ragged. She dragged herself to the side and looked at Saido's collapsed form but he too was straining to move. Her leg was completely shattered and broken in several places but she couldn't stand anymore. If Saido found a way to get back up, it would be over.

The Hyuuga used her arm to drag herself over to her opponent, foot by foot. Saido was still struggling, oblivious to her closing proximity. Hinata was going to get that last hit no matter what. She stopped when she was ling right next to Saido his eyes intensely furious and on her. She propped herself up over his chest and gazed at him for only a moment, blood streaming out of his mouth with bruises, burns and cuts all over his body. She stared for only a moment before she raised her hand and slapped his chest.

The audience stood in silence, watching the display with shocked expressions. The proctors themselves looked between one another and the desolated clearing along with the two opponents lying stark still next to each other.

Hinata stared into the eyes of her opponent. They grew wilder with each passing second until she could only see pure hatred in them.

_'Green. His eyes are green.'_

Her eyes began to close and she began to lose consciousness. But before her eyes could shut completely, Saido released a gut wrenching scream and a voice in the distance shouted her name. The next thing she felt was the most immense force on her throat before her body was pushed back by force. Hinata body rolled, picking up dirt and grass as she hit the ground continuously.

_'I can't breathe. I can't- BREATHE.'_

Hinata coughed and sputtered and she felt blood in her throat. Her fingers came up to claw at her neck at instinctive desperation.

_'Somebody. Somebody. PLEASE!'_

Her vision spotted white before a shadow loomed over her. Her eyes closed and her body surrendered to the darkness. The last thing she felt was a calm presence surrounding her. And in that moment, for some unknown reason,

she felt safe.

**Hello! I know it's been a while but here's almost 6000 words for Chapter 3. I know it's a bit off the story but I swear it's only for a bit! I though it'd be interesting to get into the SasuHina backstory as well- UchihaSetsuka style. I plan to continue their "getting together" story in the next chapter and then reverting to the present again. This'll happen continuously over the course of the story so, yeah.**

**Well, thank you for taking the time to read through my story! It means a lot and I apologize for any typos! If you find a mistake please tell me and I'll fix it!**

**I really appreciate everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed. It really gives me an incentive to continue this story! (Sometimes I just damn lazy haha)**

**Well, till next time!**

xoxo UchihaSetsuka

**PS: Originally, Saido's name was Sora but I changed it since Sora sounds like such a nice name to be wasted on a ruthless guy like him. But if you see Sora anywhere it's cause I missed it when changing his name!**


	4. She is His and He is Hers

**A big thank you to all that reviewed, favorited, and followed! You keep me going, really.**

**I do not own Naruto or any of the characters. Enjoy!**

When she first opened her eyes, all that she could comprehend were the white tiles that loomed above her. So stark and pure that when she finally emerged from oblivion, they blinded her. Her eyes fluttered erratically, taking in what little light she could handle after days or weeks of darkness. Funny how, not only was it difficult to surpass insurmountable death, they had to make it even harder for her when she did.

Hinata groaned, squeezing her eyes shut and went to move her hand over her eyes.

Only it was strung up.

And in a cast.

So was her leg.

Now that she noticed, her entire body was basically wrapped in gauze and bandages. Only her left arm and leg were left to fend for themselves against the sterile chill of the hospital room. Yet the intensity of the white tiles were much more intolerable than the fact that she couldn't move seventy five percent of her body. Tears involuntarily pooled in response to the bright irritation and Hinata lifted her good arm to wipe them away.

The soft rumble of a door sliding distracted Hinata from her vexations, turning her head to see Sakura standing in the doorway.

"You're awake." Sakura tilted her head, the glasses resting on her nose slipping down a little further. The pink haired medic made her way to Hinata's bedside, her heels clicking against the floor.

"I swear I'm not crying. It's just, really bright in here." Hinata wiped at her still watering eyes.

"Well, you did strain your blood limit to the very brink of its capacity so I would imagine you'd have difficulty adjusting." Sakura reached over the bluenette and grabbed her chart, frowning as she began to flip through the notes. "In fact it'll be like this for quite some time, I'd say a week. The trauma to your body doesn't help either." The medic jotted down a few more things before settling the papers into the clipboard and placing it on the bedside table.

"Ugh, even the tiniest bit of light makes my eyes water." Hinata gave up wiping and opted to just keep her eyes closed.

Sakura glanced at Hinata for a moment before crossing her arms. "So what happened? How do you go from walking in the market one day to lying in a hospital wrapped entirely in casting the next?"

Hinata's face blanched. How _did_ she get here? She remembered not being able to breathe. She remembered pain and bloodshed, the green grass and the circular clearing.

Kasinami Sora.

ANBU tryouts.

It all came rushing right back to her as she recalled the battle that barely left her alive. She replayed the moments in her head, her smile growing wider with recognition.

"I remember! Haha! I remember!" Hinata wanted to jump up and down from the sheer excitement despite her extensive injuries. This was amazing! The proctors had wiped the memories of the losing opponent immediately after the battle, even if they were bleeding out or on the brink of death. Nothing mattered more than the ANBU anonymity, and the fact that she could still remember was a good sign that she had been accepted into ANBU or at least won the match!

_'I did it!'_

"Remembered?" Sakura looked at the bluenette with a raised brow.

Hinata fought to control her excitement. "Um, nothing. I just- I just got into a really i-intense spar with someone."

Sakura crossed her arms and frowned. "Hinata you were barely breathing when you came to me. It wasn't just some _spar. _I know what happened Hinata. All high level medical personnel are authorized to know for the best emergency care during the trials."

"Oh. Well then can you at least congratulate me?" Hinata smiled in the direction of the pink haired medic.

Sakura scoffed and rolled her eyes, a small grin forming at her lips. "Che, might as well while I still remember." She bent down for a hug before reconsidering and instead, patted Hinata on the forehead. "I don't want to jostle you so, good job Hina."

Hinata laughed, "Thank you."

Sakura turned around and headed for the door. "I'll check up on you in about three hours. Try not to die in between then." The pinkette waved her hand behind her as she went.

Hinata giggled and saluted the medic with her good arm. "I'll do my best!" A thought occurred to her just before the pinkette was out of earshot. "Hey Sakura!"

It was only a few moments before the the pink haired medic reappeared at the door. "What?"

"Two things. What do you mean while you still can remember?"

Sakura sighed and stepped into the room, sliding the door closed behind her. "Well when you're promoted to an Attending at a hospital, they require you to sign a consent form basically saying that you'll allow your memory to be wiped for all special forces cases, just to ensure secrecy."

Hinata frowned. "You're getting your memory wiped because of me?"

Sakura smiled and rolled her eyes. "Not really considering there are others, so it's not just you. Plus it happens every year so this isn't anything new to me."

Hinata's mouth opened in shock "Every year? That's really brave of you." Sakura shrugged and leaned back against the wall.

"I wouldn't prefer it but it is what it is. What's the second thing?"

"Oh." Hinata flushed slightly but she turned her head to the side so Sakura couldn't see. "I-I was wondering about Sasuke…"

Sakura's smiled faltered as her eyes glazed down to the ground. She cleared her throat before continuing. "I was actually about to get Naruto so he could tell Sasuke that you were awake."

"Ah." Sakura looked up at the bluenette who had her eyes closed but was intently listening, most likely hoping there was more than what the medic had already said.

"Sasuke… has been busy as of late with all the new recruits and such, but he's been visiting you almost everyday whenever he gets the chance."

Hinata gasped. "Oh! How long have I been out?"

"About a week and a half."

Hinata's jaw dropped in shock. She didn't know how she felt. It was a crazy bubble of mixed emotions since she was warm and fuzzy about how Sasuke had been visiting her and yet, it was incomprehensible as to how she lost a whole week and then some.

"It's a sum to process but you'll be fine. I've already stretched protocol so I'm gonna go get Naruto to tell Sasuke. See you in three hours."

"Okay." Hinata heard the door slide open and shut again, Sakura's heels clicking away at an unusually quick pace. She wondered why Sakura wouldn't just go straight to Sasuke, but then again they were both busy and Naruto could probably spare a moment.

Hinata relaxed as much as she could into the hospital bed. She wondered how soon Sasuke would be able to come once he heard that she'd woken up. Over the past few months, they'd gotten pretty close to each other, scratch that, _really_ close to each other.

It had gotten to a point where Hinata couldn't deny it any further. She felt something for her instructor. Something more than friends.

The bluenette thought back to when she had her revelation. She remembered shaking every more-than-friends thought out of her head. All the times where she'd catch herself admiring the strength and grace of his body only to beat herself up about it later. Every mean, snarky comment he had ever said to her mixed in with the concerned and caring moments they shared. He was a confusing mess but Hinata had come to think of him as _her_ confusing mess.

Hinata sighed and let her head drop to the side and off her pillow. She didn't want to mess anything up with their friendship since Sasuke seemed to be the only person she could really open up to and vice versa. She didn't want to screw it up because of some silly feelings. Hinata knew that Sasuke cared for her but she didn't know in what way. Imagining his dark demeanor and spiky raven hair, he just didn't seem like a loving kind of guy who would get himself into a relationship. In fact he didn't even seem like a relationship type of guy. If Hinata didn't know any better, she would've thought he was asexual.

Hinata grimaced at her own train of thought. She really knew how to pick them. First, it was the eccentric blonde who wouldn't give her the time of day, and now, it was a guy who could potentially be in love with himself and was incapable of differentiating between a happy and a sad face. Seriously, he had the same expression for everything, except in those rare moments that Hinata had managed to get a laugh out of him, where she would just sit in complete wonderment to see such a stoic man smile. It was like seeing a double rainbow with a unicorn in between.

But she lived in those moments, like really lived. To see Sasuke unguarded and open toward her meant that he had placed some level of trust in her. She knew how careful she had to handle it because it was the most precious thing that Sasuke had to give. It made her feel special, wanted and needed in a way she never was before. Hinata silently vowed, to him and herself, that she would never, ever come to betray that trust. To her last breath.

Even if he didn't want her the way she wanted him.

Hinata still kept her eyes shut against the bright tiles of the ceiling and sighed. Sasuke was extremely confusing. He would keep his distance some days and be right beside her the next. Sasuke was always there for the hard parts. He'd held her through the anniversary of Neji's passing, her grief and sorrow making her into some sort of animal, yet he remained, a silent strength in her weakest hour. He'd been there for two out of the three years since she lost her closest relative and guardian. The following days had been awkward, mostly on her part since Hinata didn't know how to face him. He was resilient and fortified while she felt as though she would shatter. It wasn't until they sat by each other one day, Hinata staring out into the training field. She was remembering one of her spars with Neji, one they had on that same exact field. He'd beaten her to a pulp that day but at the end, he'd stood above her with his hand outstretched, a smirk playing on his lips and telling her to get back up. She remembered the breathless smile she gave him as she took it, jumping back up for another round of kick-assery.

The memory made her entire body sag against the tree she rested against and her breath left her as reality reminded her that Neji was gone. Her comrade, her guardian, her cousin, her best friend. Gone, and she would never again hear him say her name, never see him smile at her, never feel his hand on top of her hair, ruffling it, never again…

She began to hyperventilate. She struggled to regain her breathing, the sharp intakes short and painful. Too much yet not enough.

She hardly registered hands grasping her face, pulling her eyes to face steely dark onyx. She stared at him but didn't really see him. It wasn't until she really lifted her empty gaze did she see the understanding and sincerity in the person who now held her attention.

"Breathe." Sasuke sat in front of her, his cool gaze commanding her.

It wasn't his order that made her slow down. It was his complexion, his expression of complete surety. His eyes promised what he didn't say aloud. The pain would never disappear but it would dull. The memories would ache. They would hurt like a punch to the gut but they weren't there to remind her that Neji was gone, no, they were a reminder as to how he lived. Uchiha Sasuke knew, he _knew_ that even though she could fall apart, she could piece herself together as well. And that at the end of the day, he would be there to remind her that she would be okay. Because Neji would've wanted her to be.

They didn't speak much after that, Hinata just nodded and they stood up to resume training. But she fought with a new vigor. Now, she believed in herself and in her purpose. She believed that she could live through it all and the pain that came with it.

And it all began when she believed in him.

Hinata had fallen asleep. With her eyes being closed for that amount of time, it was inevitable but once she woke, the blinding white tiles came after her again.

She groaned and stirred, her arm instinctively shooting up to cover her eyes.

"They should really do something about that."

Hinata's eyes shot open in surprised. "WH-AHH!"

_'Sasuke! THE FUCK!' _Stark pure white assaulted her vision, tasing her right in the eyeballs. Cursing at herself, Hinata snapped her eyes shut and wrapped her palm around them as if it would keep them from falling out.

"Sorry." She could just imagine Sasuke's stoic facade, shoulders shrugging. She hadn't even sensed his presence! He was probably judging her for that in the back of his head right now and the blandness behind his half-assed apology suggested that it was in fact, her fault that she got snuck up on.

"How long have you been here?!" Hinata didn't want to look at him since she knew her face was flushed, from embarrassment, shock, happiness, excitement…

"About an hour." Sasuke made no move from his chair beside her bed. He just sat and assessed her condition, from her casts to her bandages. He was in the middle of training his squadron when Naruto came bounding out of the trees to tell him that Hinata was finally awake. After a week of monitoring her, the bluenette was finally coming out of her mini coma and Sasuke had dropped everything to be there as soon as he could. His squadron was confused as to why he passed off the instruction to his second in command but gave a short dutiful response that made it sound like an urgent matter.

Which it was. To him.

Naruto had departed to tell the others and he had ran to the hospital only to find Hinata dozing. Her hair was still that sharp shade of indigo and still shined subtly, even under the overbearing lights of the hospital. Her complexion was still a little too pale for his liking but color had returned to her cheeks. He had died a thousand deaths looking down at her on that field. She was collapsed, unmoving and barely breathing. Blood stained where her blush always appeared. There were proctors who were debating on whether or not the hit had counted and if they should have her memories erased. Sasuke had her in his arms after only a second and didn't say a word as he bounded to the hospital himself. They shouted and called after him but he didn't care. He would deal with the legalities later but Hinata was in his arms and he didn't know how far she had pushed herself. He usually never prayed but he sent a quick one, asking to whatever deity was listening that she hadn't gone over the edge.

He had wanted to bring her to Tsunade but she wasn't at the hospital and the time it took her to get here would've been too long. So he sought out Sakura and the young medic stopped in her tracks as she saw the scene in front of her. Blood and bruises everywhere on Hinata and the most frantic expression Sakura had ever seen from Sasuke.

"Help her."

From there, Sakura quickly lead him to an empty room in the far reaches of the wing since all the others were occupied. Medics tried to pry Hinata from his arms but Sasuke gave them the most terrifying glare until they backed off. Under the careful instruction of Sakura, Sasuke carefully placed the unconscious bluenette on the cot, making sure all her weight was distributed to her good side before Sakura quickly shoved him out.

Sasuke didn't realize that he'd been panting and fought to slow his breathing. He looked down at his uniform, tainted with blood. Hinata's blood He rarely ever lost his cool but where Hinata was involved, his emotions were a wild card. He paced a few steps before running out of the hospital and headed towards his own home. He had to get this blood off of him.

The former avenger shot through his house and took off his uniform, throwing it in the wash basin before grabbing a new set. Sasuke dressed and went to rub off the blood stains. The water went pink and Sasuke felt sick in his stomach but once the stains were removed Sasuke hung his uniform to dry and tossed the water, feelings miles better. He stalked back out of the house in his clean uniform and debated whether he should go back to the hospital.

Sakura was probably working with her and it would be a while before he got to see her. Plus it would make him anxious just sitting around and waiting. The raven decided to head back to the tournament. They were most likely still arguing about whether or not the match counted and as ANBU captain, he surely would have a say in it. Hinata hadn't gone through the beating of her life for nothing and he was going to make sure of that.

He had spoken in her favor and thus, Hinata's name was initiated into his ANBU squadron. But a week and a half later, sitting in that stiff hospital chair and watching her breathe with difficulty, he questioned whether or not he had made the right decision. He had a hard time watching her struggle the way she did during her match against Kasinami Sora and knew, with a shred of despair, that he and his team had been through worse. _Much_ worse.

To think that she would be sharing their experience sometime soon already made Sasuke cringe but if and when it actually happened, he might go brain-dead. He should just tell her to stop but he'd already helped her so far, it didn't make sense for him to suddenly quit on her. And despite her uncanny ability to put herself at risk, she was his woman and he would do whatever it took to get her where she wanted to be.

He smirked a little. _'His woman.'_

Sasuke had never felt the way he did when he was with Hinata. She made him feel whole and together when he was always just pretending. She was the one who showed him that the crevices of his soul weren't so endless as he'd thought. Hinata knew exactly what to say and when to say it but what he loved, yes _loved_, even more was her quiet attentiveness. Always listening and waiting. No one ever did that for him, even though his closest teammates had offered. He had tried but they were always expecting something. Hinata never expected anything to come from his long thoughts of reflection. Sometimes he would even hit a dead end and leave it where it was but Hinata never pushed him and always leaned back and put her own thought into it. It never felt like a psychologic consult, the way it felt with Sakura the first time he tried, rather forced himself to try to open up to her.

Confiding in Hinata was like having a conversation, the kind of conversation that made bonds grow deeper and truer until Sasuke had declared to himself that Hinata was all he would ever want and all he ever would need.

The ex-heiress was his and that fact was undisputed by all. He knew Sakura still felt something toward him but he'd made it clear that he was only interested in one person. On the other hand, Sasuke was aware of Hinata's childhood crush on Naruto and despite being inseparable teammates, Sasuke still held a small grudge against his girlfriend's old object of affection.

But now as Hinata laid in quiet thought, Sasuke tossed all of it from his mind. He only looked at the bluenette, waiting for her to say whatever that was on her mind.

"So… you've just been sitting there for an hour?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Yes."

"…Doing what?"

Sasuke only stared at her casted form impassively. "Watching you."

"Um…t-that's kind of creepy."

The raven narrowed his eyes. "A man can't watch his woman while she lays injured and completely helpless?"

Even though she couldn't move much initially, she could tell the difference between the lack of movement compared to the rigid, frozen form that she now possessed.

There was a long drawn out minute of silence before Hinata sputtered. "Y-y-you w-what?"

"You can't even move from your bed so apologies if I was being inconsiderate." Sasuke drawled, his tone laced with hard sarcasm.

"N-n-no- y-you said…" Hinata stuttered out. She stilled herself to the point where her muscles kind of ached from the strain. It was as if the sound of her skin stretching could distort what he had just said and what he might repeat again.

"That you're injured? Helpless? Useless? Yes, I said all those things."

"No, not-"

"Useless? Alright maybe I tacked that one on at the end but-"

"No, you said I was…" Her voice dropped down several volumes until all that escaped was air.

Sasuke leaned forward in his chair. "Come again."

Hinata gulped. "Your woman. You said I was your woman." She'd gone beet red and her emotions were in the most confusing place they had ever been.

Sasuke stared at her blankly. "…And?"

Hinata gaped at him. "AND?! and?! w-w-when.., when?!" She was truly at a loss for words and if she wasn't just short of being tied to the bed, she was pretty sure she would've gotten up and shook the living daylights out of him to answer her.

On the other hand, Sasuke sat in deep thought. Had he…? Well, technically he never really asked her but he had already assumed she'd know. He didn't treat her like other girls and he made it clear that he deeply cared for her on a romantic level. Plus, all of the rookie nine knew that they were an item. Yet Sasuke couldn't pass over the dread that maybe, just maybe Hinata had never gotten the hint. even though it was as big and clear as a bright neon sign the color of Naruto's jumpsuit.

A missed hint that was becoming extremely evident as Hinata laid in silence, her eyes moving wildly under her eyelids.

And as he stared at her.

So he stared. And stared. And stared.

"For Kami's sake."

It wasn't for another five minutes until Hinata broke the silence. "So… we were- are? dating?"

Sasuke couldn't help but roll his eyes. "For about three months now."

"H-h-how could you not even tell me?! Or a-ask me for that matter?!" Hinata gasped.

"Why do I have to ask?" Sasuke quirked an eyebrow. He truly was confused about her reaction.

"Oh, I don't know because it's a rather important piece of information don't you think?!" Hinata pursed her lips and if her eyes had been open, Sasuke was sure he would've seen them roll.

Sasuke sighed. "Well it's irrelevant now. Do you want to be considered together or apart?"

The bluenette frowned. The onyx eyed raven always had a crude way of asking things. "You mean if I want to be a thing with you?"

The Uchiha's eyes narrowed. He stood up and leaned over her, feeling her breath hitch in response. "Being with me is not some mere _thing_." Sasuke pushed off of the cot and stood straight above her with his face schooled into a figure of authority. "You're in for life."

Hinata had no words as she slowly nodded. She knew how it was with Sasuke, how it is always all or nothing. And it wasn't like she'd been waiting for this for the entirety of the time she's known him, nope not at all.

Sasuke smirked down at the bluenette and brushed her hair back from her face. "Here." Sasuke reached into his pocket and produced a pair of sunglasses. "These will help. Been there, done that."

He placed it on over her eyes and took a step back to look. Her entire right side was strung up to hover right above the bed and her left arm and leg cuddled up under the blanket that surrounded her. With the sunglasses, the kunoichi looked like the chillest nearly dead patient ever and even that couldn't stop Sasuke from bursting out in laughter.

Hinata was immediately transfixed even though she knew she should be pouting. His laughter was truly a sound to behold and it made Hinata smile, which in turn made the scene look even more ridiculous and caused the usually stoic Uchiha to laugh even harder. No one in the five kingdoms would ever see this side of Sasuke and wouldn't believe that this person was hidden beneath the tortured layers of the ex-avenger even they saw it for themselves.

Hinata thanked Kami that day for bringing Uchiha Sasuke to her, so that she could see what others believed to be lost.

Because what she'd discovered and what Sasuke had assumed, was that she was his and he was hers.

**So I know it's taken me five-ever but finally a new chapter! I'm sorry it isn't as action packed as my previous chapters but I really wanted to get down deep and establish the foundation of what SasuHina feel for each other and where it came from. And I was trying to give you the feels.**

**BUT WOW! Two whole chapters dedicated to Sasuke's reminiscing about how they "officially" became an item. It's a little more fluff than I usually go for but I'm happy with it :) He needs to remember less though two chapters is A LOT xD I promise next chapter is back to the present, to when they're already married. It'll be action packed with a little bit of everything :) I'll still jump back now and then when it fits but I actually have a plot going now so it won't be as often. **

**Thank you for reading this far and I hope your lives are going splendidly. I will continue to upload chapters, slowly but surely. Feel free to leave reviews and critiques! They're always welcome and I love to know what you think! If you feel that this story is worthy of your favorite or follow...**

**Please.**

**Plz. Love me.**

**Till next time, over and out.**

**xoxo,**

**Uchiha Setsuka**


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